Many waste receptacles or refuse containers which are provided with covers are also provided with a means to temporarily lock or affix the cover to the base of the container. Quite often such means take the form of a simple pressure fit, that is, the cover is merely snapped down onto the container base. The problem with this type of connection is that the force needed to secure the cover is the same force needed to release it. Thus, if for convenience of the user minimal force requirements are engineered into the product, the cover can be too easily and possibly accidentally released. If the types of force requirements are designed into the product which will securely hold the cover in place, usually it becomes too difficult for the average person to easily generate enough force to affix the cover.
As an alternative to the snap lock type of securing system, attempts have been made to provide base portions of waste receptacles with threads to be engaged by a similarly threaded cover much like typical household jars. However, not only do such threads add significantly to the cost of the product, but also the threads on such large containers as waste receptacles, particularly when made of the most commonly accepted plastic materials, will either not provide sufficient strength to permit the waste receptacle to be carried by the cover, if desired, or will quickly wear limiting the useful life thereof.
As a result of the disadvantages of the designs heretofore described, many waste receptacles have been provided with additional hardware or other devices so that the cover may be secured to the base container. For example, oftentimes the locking function is combined with a handle function such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,840. In that patent rotatable handles serve to lock the cover to the base and then, when locked, the receptacle can be conveniently transported. While such a system has proved to be a superior design over those described above, the handle mechanisms employed add significantly to the cost of manufacturing and assembling the product.
Finally, the designs of most all of the prior art containers, of their very nature or configuration, render it difficult, if not impossible, to stack a plurality of covers in a confined area as might be desirable for shipment and/or display.